About World Development Foundation
Introduction World Development Foundation (WDF) (WDFINDIA) 1 is a foundation with a mission to improve the life of poor and marginalized people. It is a non-governmental organisations based in New Delhi, India. World Development Foundation has been recognized as partner to Government of India with details of sector/ key issues being handled by it and the operational areas (region/ districts) of the country. WDF uses the mass media such as broadcasting, Information and Communication technologies to spread knowledge in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, livelihood generation and removal of ignorance. World Development Foundation was founded in 2003. Since then it is engaged in educating the poor people for uplifting their economic and social condition. WDF is using Community Radio, Mass Media, ICT, New media and Internet for this purpose. This includes WDFINDIA Channel on YouTube for promoting the use of new methods of agriculture and horticulture practices to be used for increasing food and livestock production in India and neighboring countries. These videos are also available on veengle, livetv.tamilulagam, Bollywoodsargam, video-hned, dailymotion and many other sites. Services Provided WDF helps in establishing community Radio,[6] media centres, commercial FM radio, TV stations, video conferencing system for the dissemination of audio and video on agriculture, health, education & Sustainable development. WDF also produces audio and video content on educational and related subjects. Areas of Focus World development Foundation did the project for use of Community Radio Stations for livelihood generation in various part of India in the partnership of Media Lab Asia. Under the project, the first radio was established at Ranchi.[7][8] In all, first five Community Radio Stations in Agricultural Universities were established at Ranchi, Coimbatore,[9]9 Hissar,[10][11] Faizabad, and Raipur in India under this project. Apart from informing and educating farmers about agriculture and best practices in technology, seed, soil, weather, climate, community radio is also being used to bring to focus important social issues on health, education, laws etc. WDF has implemented 25 such projects.[12] The initiative taken by World development Foundation and Media Lab Asia resulted in Community Radio being taken as an approved extension scheme for funding by Ministry of Agriculture (India). WDF is trying to take the expertise to help countries in Africa in using Community Radio for development. WDF recently commissioned seven number of 700 Watt Community Radio Stations in remote locations of Ethiopia for development and education of people in Ethiopia.[13] World Development Foundation also runs, maintains and operates a number of Community Radio Stations in various part of country to broadcast knowledge to communities to improve their knowledge on education, science, agriculture, their legal rights and also to improve their livelihoods. Community Radio set up by World Development Foundation for the farmers is benefiting the farming community and transforming their lives.[14] WDF implemented a project Agriculture Knowledge Dissemination System for empowering the farmers in Bihar under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana of Government of India. The Project on Agricultural Knowledge Dissemination System (ANDS) in Bihar included: (1) consultancy and system implementation for setting up an Electronic Media & Production Centre (EMPC) consisting of audio and video studios, PCR room, recording/edition room, digital archives (2) dissemination system consisting of web-casting using Web Portal for agriculture related services, SMS facilities for farmers and high speed internet connectivity between BAU and five KVKs (Video Conferencing)and common Services Centres (CSCs) using available Internet with these CSCs and (3) developing 300 hrs of information on recommended package of practices for the mandate crops in the form of video/audio/multimedia.[15] A MOU was signed between WDF & BAU,[16][17] A workshop participated by, farmers, NGOs, Self Help Groups, experts, scientists etc. was held on 22nd, July 2011 for a Brain Storming Session to decide the content for Agriculture Knowledge System. This project was conceived for starting the second Green Revolution in Bihar (see the video). WDF developed, designed and implemented the project, for dissemination of agriculture knowledge to farmers under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (State Plan Scheme of Additional Central Assistance). The details of the scheme implemented by WDF is given by Bihar Agricultural University, Government of Bihar[18] The scheme is being used and now extended at other places for empowering farmers of the State. This is the first scheme of its kind in the country. Awards and recognition WDF also conducts workshops, seminars, and tutorials for knowledge dissemination.[19][20] WDF also actively participates in deciding the policy and formulating the direction for use of ICT for the benefit of poor.[21] WDF has been conducting several training courses to manage and operate the community radio stations in association with Universities and others[22]. WDF conducts training courses on Mass Communication and Journalism approved by Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, a Central University. WDF is the approved partner of Media Lab Asia, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India), Govt. of India.[23][24] WDF is also a partner of Telecommunications Consultants India Limited for executing the projects jointly. WDF also honours the people with outstanding contribution in the field of media and IT. In this series, WDF awarded Lifetime achievement awards to Padma Bhushan Jaswant Singh, Padma Shri H.S Jolly and others. President Prof. Dr. Sir Hari Om Srivastava is the president of the World Development Foundation.[25][26] Category:Non Governmental Organization Category:India Category:Poverty alleviation Category:Mass Media Category:ICT Category:Community Radio Category:Ethiopia Category:Education Category:Agriculture